Namibia’s young people, who make up the majority of the country’s population, should be regarded as human capital assets that the country has to protect, Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Christine //Hoebes has said.

Speaking at the breakfast meeting with the diplomatic community and international organisations on Wednesday, //Hoebes said the youth are regarded as the agents of change, the future and an inspiration.

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“Across the globe we are seeing the youth taking responsibility for their future and holding us accountable for the decisions we make today. Closer to home, the Namibian youth are advocating for social justice and an opportunity to make a difference. It is in this context that we’ll discuss the UN Youth Agenda and how it relates to the Namibian and African youth agendas,” she said.

“Ours is to work together (among ourselves and to work together with the youth) to present the youth with opportunities to allow them to continue to work towards enhancing sustainable development and the attainment of Vision 2030,” she said.

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The meeting was also aimed to provide an overview on the status of youth, building on the recent SADC Ministers responsible for Youth and the United Nations Partnership Framework (UNPAF), for further cooperation on the youth agenda.

In her opening remarks, United Nations Resident Coordinator Rachel Odede said the closed-door meeting would discuss issues related to the youth.

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‘The youth are our leaders of tomorrow, and they are multipliers of sustainable development,” she said.

Quoting UN Secretary General António Guterres when he launched the UN Youth Strategy last September 1, Odede said: “If we are to create a more peaceful, sustainable and prosperous world for all to fulfil the vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we need young people to lead.”

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She said it is against this background that through maximising collective comparative advantages, “we hope to propose a way forward on this important agenda”. Odede expressed strong appreciation to the government and the diplomatic community for making quality time to join the UN system in Namibia to collectively deliberate on the issues at hand.

“We very much value the dedication and efforts to ensure that no one is left behind and our commitments towards achieving the Agenda 2030 are implemented in a timely, efficient and effective manner, for the benefit of our people,” she said.

Rescue Mission International, a youth advocacy NGO, has urged the youth and all youth-led organisations to take up innovative and complementary training programmes to empower the youth to challenge the status quo for better transformation of the education sector.

According to the organisation, this would effectively contribute to the sustainable development of the country, for the benefit of both the current generation and those yet unborn.

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This was contained in a statement issued by Rescue Mission International signed by its Co-founder, Mr Abdul-Raheem Ibrahim Tuzee, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Tamale.

It is in commemoration of this year’s International Youth Day, which is on the theme: “Transforming Education.”

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The International Youth Day, marked on August 12, every year, recognises the role of the youth in national development.

The statement said inclusive and accessible quality education was crucial to achieving sustainable development as it played a vital role in preventing conflicts.

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It, however, added that political instability, labour market challenges and limited space for political and civic participation have led to increasing isolation of youth and youth unemployment in society.

It, therefore, emphasised that “It is time we the youth took our destinies and those of generations unborn into our own hands and stop depending on politicians for opportunities.”

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The statement called for a collective effort from youth-led organisations, individual youths, together with various stakeholders and government, to concretely transform education for sustainable development and for the full inclusion of various social groups.

Society plays an important role in shaping an individual’s character. It helps shape teens’ ability to live with other people, their ideas of wrong and right and their general outlook on life. As a parent, your influence is the strongest and often shapes your teen’s adult life, according to the Christian Broadcasting Network. Understanding the influence various aspects of society have on your teen helps you nurture your teen’s character and individuality.

Parents

Parents spend a lot of time with teens and influence them through their actions and words. Teenagers learn skills such as nurturing, socializing, and decision-making through observation and communication with parents. The relationship between teens and their parents influences their outcome in life. Involved parenting is more likely to prevent behavior such as drug and substance abuse or teenage pregnancy. Although teenagers may seem rebellious, they are likely to adapt the good behaviors as they mature.

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Media

The media can have a positive or a negative influence on your teen. Teenagers spend a lot of their time on the Internet, watching TV, reading magazines and listening to music. Negative influencers in the media include violence, hateful or vulgar language in movies and music, explicit sex scenes, gender, religious or ethnic stereotyping, and unrealistic representations of success and body image. Alternatively, the media is a source of information for teens. It helps create cultural, political and social awareness in teens. Teens also get a better understanding of their environment and society.

Friends

Friends create a community that influences the decisions that your teenager makes. Friends may challenge each other to become better individuals or influence each other to adopt negative behavior. According to Valarie Ulene, writing for the Los Angeles Times, the influence friends have on each other may affect a teen’s performance in academics and sports, socials skills and decision-making skills. However, you can help your teen develop self-confidence and a sense of individuality through involved parenting and continuous communication.

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Community

The community sets rules that help form your teenager’s ideas of right and wrong. Teenagers have a better understanding of acceptable behavior and consequences of doing wrong, as set by communal laws. This understanding may help your teen choose the right behavior to avoid consequences like imprisonment. The community also helps create cultural and environmental awareness. Additionally, teenagers learn to care for the environment, their neighbors and the less fortunate by interacting with various members of the community.

The Nigerian President, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity,Malam Garba Shehu, in Daura, Katsina State, on Friday, believed that the health benefits in sports should make it more attractive to both young and old.

Shehu stated that President Buhari was speaking when he received organizers of the Muhammadu Buhari Cup Competition in Katsina and some soccer teams at his country home.

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The Muhammadu Buhari Cup Competition is held annually in Daura Emirate to encourage youths to develop interest in sporting careers and enhance their skills.

The president said: “I want the younger generation of our population to take part in sports so as to keep away from mischief and lawlessness.”

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President Buhari commended organizers of the competition for maintaining unity among the youths in the Emirate, adding that by keeping the young people positively engaged, sporting activities also protect them from negative influences.

In addition to physical and mental fitness, he said sports also provides employment and ensures wellbeing.

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“Sports provide jobs opportunities. It is also a business from which you can earn respectable incomes.

Breaking: Liverpool beat Chelsea on penalties to win UEFA Super Cup(Opens in a new browser tab)

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”Those who compete and excel at state and zones will eventually rise into national reckoning with focus and determination,” he further maintained.

The Secretary of the Local Organising Committee of the competition, Malam Aliyu Bello told the President that before introduction of various cup competitions, young people in the Emirate were contending with idleness, lawlessness and in some cases, drugs abuse.

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He said revival of sporting events in the state by Alhaji Sani Abu had brought a decline in negative activities.

The Director of Sports in Katsina State, Nalado Iro Kankia, assured the President that the state government would continue to provide facilities and opportunities for promotion of sports.(NAN)

Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, has charged Nigerian youths to begin mobilization to take over the reins of leadership of the country in 2023.

Soyinka made the comments at the wreath-laying ceremony to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the death of Chief MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election.

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He said, “Sometimes I refer to this generation of youths in which one places so much hope, as a ‘gaseous’ generation because they are so full of gas.”

“But when it comes to action, you are astonished because they keep calling out names like where is Wole Soyinka? Where is Joe Okei-Odumakin? Where is Femi Falana?

“They keep churning out the same names, same expectations, they do not organise themselves for action.

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“This is what we had hoped to happen in the last elections when we called the public to jettison the two major political parties and for the youths to recognise that they actually have a powerful bloc vote and they should exercise it in a progressive way.

“Well, it didn’t work the first time, it’s a new concept to them, so, nobody should place so much expectations.

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“But one hopes that in advance, 2023, the youths should begin to organise themselves, they must not wait till the last minute.

“They should begin right now in manifesting their expectations and the possibility of the realisation of their expectations of taking up leadership positions.”

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Values are positive traits internalized and exhibited by persons in any society which is geared towards building the society positively. They are positive behaviours. They are positive norms that move society forward. Nations develop these values towards personal and national accomplishments. Communities develop values for their community positive growth. Institutions (private and public) all develop these ethos that galvanized them positively. Value re-orientation takes place in the mind of individuals.

Recall that in the past, our Nigerian leaders in a bid to build positive values amongst the people especially the youth had launched value re-orientation programme including National Ethical Re-Orientation under the leadership of Alhaji Shehu Shagari (1979-1983). Also the then Head of State and now our President Muhammadu Buhari (1983-1985) launched War Against Indiscipline (WAI).

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In addition, to further rekindle the importance of value re-orientation in governance of the people; our present President- Muhammadu Buhari on 8th September, 2016 launched a value re-orientation programme tagged “Change Begins With Me”. During the launching the President stated amongst other things that “the nation’s value system has been badly eroded over the years and that virtues like honesty, integrity, hard work, punctuality, good-neighborliness, abhorrence of corruption and patriotism, had given way to dishonesty, indolence, unbridled corruption and widespread impunity”.

All the above mentioned value re-orientation programmes are value creation programme for Nigerian people especially the youth. They are self-driving positive value towards human development and enhancement.

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The creation of the world by God endowed in man all the creative energy to unleash greatness on planet earth through man’s further inventions, which is achievable through persons who have acquired value self-re-orientation.

Therefore building value re-orientation in the world youth could result via:

SELF-RE-ORIENTATION: We owe it as a duty to restore our individual values of which will guarantee us values of right living and self-actualization. These are values that have lifted one from obscurity to prominence. These core self-values include vision, perseverance, respect, discipline, integrity, determination, focus etc.

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TEACHERS AS VALUE RE-ORIENTATION AMBASSADORS: It has been established that Teachers play significant roles in inculcating values in the lives of students. Declaring Teachers as Ambassadors will inculcate in them greater sense of responsibility to become carriers of this value re-orientation in class rooms. This programme would make every teacher a counselor and character builders in the society.

STRENGTHEN THE GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING UNITS: From all indications, all schools including secondary and tertiary institutions have guidance and counseling units. There is the need for this unit to be strengthened as to be proactive towards realizing their core objectives which is geared towards inculcating right values in the minds of the students.

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PROMOTING READING CULTURE: One sure way identified towards mobilizing the youths/ students with values of right living to excel and become responsible persons in the society is through reading books, and of course quality books including leadership, self and life development books, biographies of people, inspiring books etc. The power associated with book reading is a virtue many great achievers have discovered early in life. These leaders including; Chief Obafemi Awolowo(late), Dr. Myles Munroe, Ogbo Awoke Ogbo, Pastor John C. Maxwell, Dr. Rotimi Egunjobi, the Librarian of the Adeyemi College of Education (ACE) Ondo State, South West Nigeria , Dr. Ben Carson. “Read. Read books. That is how to get someplace in life”. (Kurt Schmoke, a lawyer and former Mayor of Baltimore, his message to young people).

INSPIRING SEMINARS/CONFERENCES: Inspiring Seminars and conferences are another way to inculcate value re-orientation amongst the students. Inspiring seminars and conferences would imbibe strong values amongst the students/youth. The values of integrity, hard work, determination, creativity, perseverance are inculcated in the minds of the people who attend conferences.

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In addition, through organizing conferences/seminars ready grounds will be provided for leadership development amongst the youth. At conference programmes, new leadership skills are learnt. Recent studies have proved that those who attend conferences/ seminars were better positioned towards developing leadership potentials and skills which aid the development of humanity and society.

MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME: Presently, the world is witnessing lots of anti-social vices amongst the youth; and these our students are the future of the world. These anti-social vices prevalent amongst the students includes disrespect and internalization of wrong values which have led to cultism, armed robbery, kidnapping, drug additions etc.

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However, any society where these anti-social vices are prevalent will eventually have negative effect in the entire society; political, educational, social, economic, technological etc.

Therefore, the need to recognize and mentor the world youth through the educational and societal institutions will accelerate right values amongst the students.

ESTABLISHING RE-ORIENTATION CLUBS IN SCHOOLS:To strengthen the above issues canversed, there is therefore the need to establish re-orientation clubs in schools; these would become spring board in further building values amongst the world youth. Through these club the youthful leaders would become agent of transformational leadership for the betterment of mankind and society.

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DECLARATION OF INSPIRATIONAL DAY PROGRAMME: The hallmark of inspiration is the addition of value in one’s life, with the purpose of bringing the latent potentials of one into lime light. What Americans taught their citizens through inspiring messages via exposing the biographies of their great men and women have spread to many countries of the world.

Inspirational values combine with elements of mentorship, personality growth, leadership and entrepreneurship values which develops the mind of a person. The developed personality via inspirational issues works towards positive contribution in the society.

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If a day is set apart as world inspirational day, it will go a long way to build values amongst our youths.

Finally, building value re-orientation in the youth, would inculcate in the world youth the spirit of a new value re-orientation geared towards building a new personality for the good of the society.

Written by James Okyere

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